Bridle for piano actions



March 27, 1928.

H. E..CHUTE BRIDLE FOR PIANO ACTIONS Filed Aug. 24, 1925 INVENTOR. H/EAM E; CHurE BY Murat ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

UNITED STATES HIRAM E. CHUTE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

BRIDLE FOR PIANO ACTIONS.

Application filed August 24, 1925.

This invention relates to bridles for piano actions. In the manufacture of pianos, it s common to provide the hammer butt with a bridle strap generally formed of flat webbing having one end secured in the catcher shank opening of said butt, and the other end threaded through the guide opening of the catcher and engaged with the bridle wire. In practice, this bridle is secured 1n the catcher shank opening by wedging it between the walls thereof and the catcher shank and by cementing these parts together, and incident thereto, should the bridle become broken when the action is used, it is very difiicult and inconvenient to make repair thereof.

It is accordingly an essential object of my invention to provide a bridle which is ex tremely simple of construction, strong and durable, and of such characterand design that will permit one to substitute it for the ordinary bridle when the latter is broken. with ease, convenience, dispatch and accuracy.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bridle constructed of a single length of material which can be looped about the catcher and passed through the guide opening thereof and firmly fastened in a novel manner to the bridle wire.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and novel form of bridle wire engaging tip for the bridle which will be exceedingly strong and which will not accidentally pull away or break apart from thebridle wire.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a considera tion of the more detailed description which follows.

In the accompanying drawings, which show a. preferred embodiment of my invention,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a part of a piano action showing an application of my improved bridle thereto;

Figure 2 is a section through the catcher on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the bridle; and

Figure 4 is a section through the tip on the line H of Figure 3.

On reference to Figure 1 of the drawing, I shall refer only to those parts of the action as are necessary to illustrate the use of my invention, namely, 5 the hammer butt; 6 the catcher with the usual bridle strap guide Serial No. 52,237.

opening 7 8 the whippen; 9 the back check, and 10 the usual well known bridle wire.

My improved form of bridle consists of a single piece of flexible material such as linen or the like, whose strands are twisted together in the customary manner of manufacturing cord. I fold or turn the cord 011 itself to form two long leads or branches 11-1l connected by a return bend or bight 12. The free ends of these branches are firmly cemented between two pieces 1313 of a strong flexible material and the parts cemented and pressed together. The ends of the branches are relatively diverging when disposed between the materials 1313 which effects better anchorage of these parts to the end that they will not accidentally separate from one another when pull is appiied thereto. Near the free end of the tip formed in this manner is a perforation 14.

IVhen the normal original or ordinary bridle strap becomes broken, I clip same near its joinder with the hammer butt, un less it so happens that this is its point of severance from the action, and I then pass the bight 12 of my bridle through the guide opening 7 of the catcher 6 until the tip 13 extends into the opening, and I then pass the bight up and over the free end of the tip, after which the tip is pulled forward until the branches 11 are drawn taut. By this arrangement, separate loops 15 are formed which embrace the sides of the shank 6 of the catcher, as is clearly shown in Figure 2. The tip is then secured to the bridle wire 10 by passing the pointed end of the latter through the opening 14 of the tip. It will be noted that the loops 15 are arranged above the branches 1111, so as to prevent dis placement of the bridle from the catcher.

In the manner aforesaid, the bridle can be made to quickly replace a broken bridle strap of the usual form, and by forming my bridle with the relatively spaced loops 1515 the strain applied to the bridle is equalized and the bridle cannot be easily torn away from its mounting. Also from the manner of forming my improved tip, a very serviceable connection thereof may be made at the bridle wire 10 so that it cannot accidentally tear away therefrom.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a bridle for piano actions formed of a single length of cord looped upon itself, and a fiexible tip comprising two sheets of material secured to each other and between which the which the free ends of the cord are secured free ends of the cord are secured. in diverging relation to each other and in 2. As a new article of manufacture, a converging relation to one end of the tip, 10 bridle for piano actions formed of a single the sheets of the tip being tapered toward 5 length of cord looped upon itself, and a said ends.

flexible tip comprising two sheets of material secured to each other and between HIRAM E. CHUTE. 

